Electrical distribution equipment, such as circuit breakers, have exposed terminals to which electrical cables or conductors are electrically coupled to carry electrical current between the equipment and a power source or load. A lug can be used to mechanically and electrically couple a conductor, a bus bar, or a crimp-on connector to the terminal. Typically, the conductor is fastened to the lug, and the lug is fastened to the terminal separately, requiring at least two fasteners to couple the conductor to the terminal using the lug. Also, terminals can have fairly large holes through them, which are used to fasten bus bars or crimp-on connectors instead of round cables or wire conductors, and these large holes create opportunities for the conductor to shear while the conductor is being fastened to the lug. The conductor is also brought into direct physical contact with the terminal in conventional arrangements, so the hole in the terminal provides an open area for the cable or conductor to shear as the conductor is pressed against the terminal by a fastener. In addition, the smooth surfaces of the terminal and the conductor do not always provide a good electrical conduction interface when oxidation is present on the surface of the conductor.
What is needed is an improved lug that overcomes these and other shortcomings.